The disclosure relates generally to a power protection system and more specifically to a direct-current (DC) circuit breaker in the power protection system.
Power systems are widely used for generating and distributing power to one or more load devices. However, these power systems may be damaged by short circuits and/or fault current in the load devices. To protect these power systems, circuit breakers are used for instantaneously sensing the fault current and isolating the power systems from the load devices.
In some conventional power systems, electromagnetic circuit breakers are used in conjunction with suitable means for sensing the fault current. However, these electromagnetic circuit breakers are large in size. Also, the electromagnetic circuit breakers have response times which are undesirably high for some applications, such as aircraft engines.
In other conventional power systems, solid-state circuit-breakers may be used to sense the fault current. Typically, the solid-state circuit-breakers employ high power semiconductors that provide a fast response time to control the fault current. However, the on-resistance of the semiconductors reduces efficiency due to high conduction and/or electrical losses.
Thus, there is a need for a circuit breaker that provides a good response time without unduly sacrificing the efficiency of the power system and having a reduced footprint.